The Need for Rastafari

Fifty years ago, Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie I visited Jamaica, one of the most memorable and frenzied events to have taken place here. It's not that all Jamaica was enamoured by the Rastafarians' claim that God had visited Jamaica. It was just that we dared not ignore Rastafari. Then.
Today, his grandson has come to visit on the 50th anniversary, and there is no such national excitement over his visit. Rastafari holds neither the threat nor the promise it did 50 years ago. It has largely been conquered by Babylon, enjoying greater influence and support in exile than at home. Rastafari has been eclipsed by the forces of globalisation or, more properly, by cultural imperialism.
As a cultural resistance, Rastafari is a largely spent force. Or perhaps one could say, at best, that what we are witnessing is not so much its decline as evidence of its success: The things it fought for are now taken for granted. It has been so successful, its influence now so mainstreamed that we are tempted to say it has outlived its usefulness.

The Rastafarians have given us a lot. They forced black consciousness on many Christian churches which had a Eurocentric Gospel and which could not entertain a black representation of Christ.
Today, it is no longer radical for Christians to talk about a cultural identity as part of Christian identity. Even Evangelical Christians are now saying that black consciousness and Black Power can be taught alongside going to Heaven and accepting the Lord Jesus. Church liturgy and music have been significantly impacted by Rastafari acceptance of our cultural expressions and forms. We must never underestimate the positive impact Rastafari has made on us as a society, and how much we are indebted to this despised, oppressed and formerly marginalised group.

When we could only see God through the eyes of our colonisers and oppressors, Rastafari taught us to see a God in our own image. And what we were taught as the unvarnished, unadulterated Gospel, we later discovered, not least of which through Rastafari-influenced perspectives, were simply Western cultural baggage under the guise of universality. We must pay homage to Rastafari for opening our eyes to the deception foisted on us by Babylon.

Our youth need something beyond just grasping for prosperity. Prosperity has to have a philosophical foundation. If it is driven by sheer narcissism and an obsession with wealth and glory - what Rasses call vanity - then can't sustain a nation. Our social-media generation is hooked on the hip, the trendy, the cool things as defined by an American culture of hedonism and atomism. The medium is the message. Our youth are committed to nothing beyond themselves and their narrow dreams.

Read More _Ian Boyle

Odde To Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi

In 1967 Colonel Gaddafi inherited one of the poorest nations in Africa; however, by the time he was assassinated, Gaddafi had turned Libya into Africa’s wealthiest nation. Libya had the highest GDP per capita and life expectancy on the continent. Less people lived below the poverty line than in the Netherlands.
After NATO’s intervention in 2011, Libya is now a failed state and its economy is in shambles. As the government’s control slips through their fingers and into to the militia fighters’ hands, oil production has all but stopped.

On one side, in the West of the country, Islamist-allied militias took over control of the capital Tripoli and other cities and set up their own government, chasing away a parliament that was elected over the summer.
On the other side, in the East of the Country, the “legitimate” government dominated by anti-Islamist politicians, exiled 1,200 kilometers away in Tobruk, no longer governs anything.

America is clearly fed up with the two inept governments in Libya and is now backing a third force: long-time CIA asset, General Khalifa Hifter, who aims to set himself up as Libya’s new dictator. Hifter, who broke with Gaddafi in the 1980s and lived for years in Langley, Virginia, close to the CIA’s headquarters, where he was trained by the CIA, has taken part in numerous American regime change efforts, including the aborted attempt to overthrow Gaddafi in 1996.
In 1991 the New York Times reported that Hifter may have been one of “600 Libyan soldiers trained by American intelligence officials in sabotage and other guerrilla skills…to fit in neatly into the Reagan Administration’s eagerness to topple Colonel Qaddafi”.
Hifter’s forces are currently vying with the Al Qaeda group Ansar al-Sharia for control of Libya’s second largest city, Benghazi. Ansar al-Sharia was armed by America during the NATO campaign against Colonel Gaddafi. In yet another example of the U.S. backing terrorists backfiring, Ansar al-Sharia has recently been blamed by America for the brutal assassination of U.S. Ambassador Stevens.

Hifter is currently receiving logistical and air support from the U.S. because his faction envision a mostly secular Libya open to Western financiers, speculators, and capital.

Perhaps, Gaddafi’s greatest crime, in the eyes of NATO, was his desire to put the interests of local labour above foreign capital and his quest for a strong and truly United States of Africa. In fact, in August 2011, President Obama confiscated $30 billion from Libya’s Central Bank, which Gaddafi had earmarked for the establishment of the African IMF and African Central Bank.
For over 40 years, Gaddafi promoted economic democracy and used the nationalized oil wealth to sustain progressive social welfare programs for all Libyans. Under Gaddafi’s rule, Libyans enjoyed not only free health-care and free education, but also free electricity and interest-free loans. Now thanks to NATO’s intervention the health-care sector is on the verge of collapse as thousands of Filipino health workers flee the country, institutions of higher education across the East of the country are shut down, and black outs are a common occurrence in once thriving Tripoli.
When the colonel seized power in 1969, few women went to university. Today, more than half of Libya’s university students are women. One of the first laws Gaddafi passed in 1970 was an equal pay for equal work law.
A decade of failed military expeditions in the Middle East has left the American people in trillions of dollars of debt. However, one group has benefited immensely from the costly and deadly wars: America’s Military-Industrial-Complex.
Building new military bases means billions of dollars for America’s military elite. As Will Blum has pointed out, following the bombing of Iraq, the United States built new bases in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Saudi Arabia.
Given that Libya sits atop the strategic intersection of the African, Middle Eastern and European worlds, Western control of the nation, has always been a remarkably effective way to project power into these three regions and beyond.
NATO’s military intervention may have been a resounding success for America’s military elite and oil companies but for the ordinary Libyan, the military campaign may indeed go down in history as one of the greatest failures of the 21st century.

 Read More by Garikai Chengu research scholar at Harvard University

Words Of H.I.M Emperor Haile Selassie I

“The outlook and attitudes of Our people have undergone drastic changes during this year. The nation has come to modernity and maturity. The people have been educated, not so much by formal, classroom instruction, but as a consequence of an increasingly broad and general exposure of life in the twentieth century and the world around them, Ethiopia has awakened. Ethiopians now demand more for themselves than their fathers possessed. They have acquired the desire to improve their lot and that of their children. They are willing and anxious to change.

This is what we have labored throughout Our life to accomplish: to bring our people to the point of awareness of the demands of modern life, to arouse in them the ambition to progress, to stimulate their latent desire for advancement and improvement.

This has now been achieved, and with the natural resources with which Almighty God has endowed our nation, the path to development has been cleared and it’s vistas lie before us.” 

H.I.M Emperor Haile Selassie I

The Coronation of H.I.M. Emperor Haile Selassie I

The invited foreign envoys begin to arrive around October18, from such places as England, Italy, Belgium, Sweden, the Netherlands, Japan, Egypt, France, U.S.A., Germany, Greece, Turkey, and Poland. Following ancient tradition, 49 bishops and priests in groups of seven, in seven corners of the cathedral, chant continually nine Psalms of David for seven days and nights prior to the coronation.

“On November 1, the eve of the coronation, the Emperor inaugurates a statue of the great Menelik II. The honor of unveiling goes to the Duke of Gloucester, the envoy of the King of England. The same evening, the imperial vestments and ornaments are taken in a great parade to the royal church of St George and consigned to the Archbishop who prays over them all night. The cathedral of St. George is a magnificent structure built during the reign of Menelik II and was the scene of the crowning of Empress Zawditu in 1916. His imperial Majesty and His family enter the church at midnight for a night of prayer. 
“More the 700 guests and officials are in attendance on November 2, 1930, to witness this ancient Hebraic-Christian coronation ceremony. Lion-maned chieftains are interspersed among the foreign guests and dignitaries, each according to rank and station. Hundreds of priests join the original group, resplendent in their colorful ceremonial robes, bearing crosses and censers. Before the royal ritual begins, His Majesty is approached by the Archbishop, His Holiness Abuna Kyrillos, with a Holy Bible bound in gold, and is asked to pledge the following four-part oath: 
“To strengthen and defend the orthodox faith, and to keep, without disturbance, the laws and ordinances which the Orthodox Church has laid down
“To act with consideration for the interests of the people according to law as well as with kindness and patience
“To safeguard the entire Ethiopian realm and people in accordance with the established law and the ordinances of the Council
“To assist with the establishment of schools in Ethiopia where secular  and spiritual education would be developed and the gospels would be preached”
The Emperor then affirms verbally and in writing that He is willing to fulfill His duties as ruler.”
“Next, the Abuna recites the prayer of the covenant, after which the choir with the drum and harp accompaniment chants the 48th Psalm. During this Interval, abbots from various monasteries bring the royal articles one by one, hand them to the six bishops, who were assigned by the Archbishop to the coronation service, and the bishops in turn pass the articles to the Abuna to be blessed. The objects are returned to the respective bishops who then present them to His Imperial Majesty, reciting appropriate lines. With each of the seven ornaments, His Imperial Majesty is anointed on the head, brow, and shoulders with seven differently scented ointments of ancient prescription. He is first vested with a gold sword along with this exhortation: “May you be enabled with this sword to punish the wicked and protect the righteous.”
“This is followed with the bestowal of the Imperial scepter of ivory and gold, and the golden orb (globe), a diamond incrusted ring, two traditional lances (spears) filigreed in gold, the imperial vestments, and finally,  anointing His head with oil, the Abuna places upon H.I.M. the triple crown. The Archbishop concludes the regal anointing with the words: “That God may make this crown a crown of sanctity and glory. That, by the grace and the blessings which we have given, you may have an unshaken faith and a pure heart, in order that you may inherit the crown eternal. So be it.” The Crown Prince, Asfa Wossen, removes his coronet and on bended knee pledges his allegiance, service, and support.
“The Empress and her ladies of honor then enter the sanctuary from the right side and she takes her throne to the right of His Majesty for her coronation. It has been determined that the Abuna is to place the crown and ring upon Her Majesty, without the regal anointing, on the same day of the Emperor’s coronation. This not only breaks tradition, but sets a historical precedent as the earlier practice was for her to be crowned on the third day after the coronation of the Emperor, in the palace and not in the church.

“The final part of the ceremony is a tour of the cathedral by their Imperial Majesties, escorted by the bishops and priests, the princes and dignitaries, assistants and others, carrying palm branches and chanting, “Blessed be the King of Israel” The procession continues onto the Addis Ababa streets, where throngs of well wishers wildly cheer the Royal Family. The event draws to a close with Their Majesties visiting the other churches in the city to give thanks and praise.”
(from Reggae & African Beat 12/1983)

Love would never leave us alone

Beyond his highly merchandised face, overplayed music, and global icon Peace & Love status, legendary Jamaican reggae artist, Bob Marley, was a revolutionary in the most noble sense of the word. In his book Reggae and Caribbean Music, Dave Thompson comes up with a more accurate, militant and radical description of the Smiling Marley we’ve been acquainted with:

Bob Marley ranks among both the most popular and the most misunderstood figures in modern culture… That the machine has utterly emasculated Marley is beyond doubt. Gone from the public record is the ghetto kid who dreamed of Che Guevara and the Black Panthers, and pinned their posters up in the Wailers Soul Shack record store; who believed in freedom; and the fighting which it necessitated, and dressed the part on an early album sleeve; whose heroes were James Brown and Muhammad Ali; whose God was Ras Tafari and whose sacrament was marijuana. Instead, the Bob Marley who surveys his kingdom today is smiling benevolence, a shining sun, a waving palm tree, and a string of hits which tumble out of polite radio like candy from a gumball machine. Of course it has assured his immortality. But it has also demeaned him beyond recognition. Bob Marley was worth far more.

Highlighted by social justice and solidarity, the one underlying and recurring theme in all of Bob Marley’s work was Love: from the individual to the universal. In his 36 years of short, well-loved life, he became one of the most powerful examples of the power of art to channel goodness and reunite people of different nationalities, background, education, social status, skin color—under the same human, original constellation.

Years before Marley, one of his idols and role models, Ernesto Che Guevara had planted the seed:

“At the risk of seeming ridiculous, let me say that the true revolutionary is guided by a great feeling of love. It is impossible to think of a genuine revolutionary lacking this quality.”

It seems like Marley accomplished through Art what Che Guevara tried to achieve through politics and force. A more subtle, long-lasting type of revolution.

Because real love isn’t a fairy tale or a Hollywood production but a revolutionary force capable of turning your life upside down and challenging everything you thought you knew. Love is, essentially, change.

Here are some of the most beautiful and life-altering symptoms of such love, in the longest quote on the subject, attributed to Bob Marley.

Whether this, as he says, only happens once in a lifetime, can be argued. As for the rest, it is pure (pseudo) scientifically proven heart / life expansion.

“Only once in your life, I truly believe, you find someone who can completely turn your world around. You tell them things that you’ve never shared with another soul and they absorb everything you say and actually want to hear more. You share hopes for the future, dreams that will never come true, goals that were never achieved and the many disappointments life has thrown at you.

When something wonderful happens, you can’t wait to tell them about it, knowing they will share in your excitement. They are not embarrassed to cry with you when you are hurting or laugh with you when you make a fool of yourself. Never do they hurt your feelings or make you feel like you are not good enough, but rather they build you up and show you the things about yourself that make you special and even beautiful.

There is never any pressure, jealousy or competition but only a quiet calmness when they are around. You can be yourself and not worry about what they will think of you because they love you for who you are.

The things that seem insignificant to most people such as a note, song or walk become invaluable treasures kept safe in your heart to cherish forever. Memories of your childhood come back and are so clear and vivid it’s like being young again. Colors seem brighter and more brilliant. Laughter seems part of daily life where before it was infrequent or didn’t exist at all.

A phone call or two during the day helps to get you through a long day’s work and always brings a smile to your face. In their presence, there’s no need for continuous conversation, but you find you’re quite content in just having them nearby. Things that never interested you before become fascinating because you know they are important to this person who is so special to you.

You think of this person on every occasion and in everything you do. Simple things bring them to mind like a pale blue sky, gentle wind or even a storm cloud on the horizon.

You open your heart knowing that there’s a chance it may be broken one day and in opening your heart, you experience a love and joy that you never dreamed possible. You find that being vulnerable is the only way to allow your heart to feel true pleasure that’s so real it scares you.

You find strength in knowing you have a true friend and possibly a soul mate who will remain loyal to the end. Life seems completely different, exciting and worthwhile. Your only hope and security is in knowing that they are a part of your life.”

But after the initial rocket-heart scientific discovery, when your spaceship lands, Love (like Life) is a journey and if you want to keep your travel companion near, you may need to add more substance to your trail mix:

On loving Her (or Him):

“You may not be her first, her last, or her only. She loved before she may love again. But if she loves you now, what else matters?”

On loving Him (or Her):

“He’s not perfect. You aren’t either, and the two of you will never be perfect. But if he can make you laugh at least once, causes you to think twice, and if he admits to being human and making mistakes, hold onto him and give him the most you can. He isn’t going to quote poetry, he’s not thinking about you every moment, but he will give you a part of him that he knows you could break.

Don’t hurt him, don’t change him, and don’t expect for more than he can give. Don’t analyze. Smile when he makes you happy, yell when he makes you mad, and miss him when he’s not there. Love hard when there is love to be had. Because perfect guys don’t exist, but there’s always one guy that is perfect for you.”

And when it seems like a losing game,

“The winds that sometimes take something we love, are the same that bring us something we learn to love. Therefore we should not cry about something that was taken from us, but, yes, love what we have been given. Because what is really ours is never gone forever.”

Finally, there’s no Marley (or no love) without some kind of soundtrack:

Excuse me, god, is this love? 

“Money can’t buy life,” were Bob Marley’s final words to his son Ziggy.

It can’t buy love either. Like anything worth our laughter, tears and sweat, it’s free and it’s been ours all along, since the beginning of beginnings and through all ends and new beginnings.

So, shall we claim it?

Love Would Never Leave Us Alone

Thoughts with a Rastafari Brejrin from Kenya

KI. What about reparations for yourself?
GM. If black people received some form of reparations then I as an individual black person would also benefit.
KI. Do you feel your brethren no matter where they hail from (Europe, Africa, elsewhere) should repatriate to Africa?
GM. The Bible says that the earth is the Lords and the fullness thereof. Marcus Garvey said Africa for the Africans at home and abroad. Repatriation therefore is an individual thing.
KI. If you are repatriating, when and to where does the I expect to do so?
GM. I have done this already and Jah has brought I to Kenya for the present.
KI. Is the I actively working towards repatriating? Does the I send monies to others who are in Shashamane?
GM. From time to time I support a cause. Currently I am assisting 7 Kenyan youths to secure scholarships to go and study Theology in Ethiopia.
KI. Is the I a member of any organized Movement, which is working to further Rastafari or the Rastafari people, and would the I care to briefly explain the works?
GM. I am not currently a member of any particular Movement other than being a Rastafari. I work with individuals to realize their goals within Rastafari. IN the early days I along with some brethrens and sistrens established a Movement called Rastafarian Advancement Society in London England. The association worked in bringing the message of Rastafari to the masses and with the local authorities such as police, prison, hospitals and so one. We secured legal representation on be half of the Rastafari Community to the Lord Scarman enquiry into the UK riots, which started in Brixton. Whilst the Enquiry concluded that the Rastafari community was not responsible for ignigting the riots the movement was a new emerging religion in the 20th Century a statement InI did not agree with. I have worked with the Ethiopian World Federation in particular Ras Seymour Mclean and Lidj Mulugeta Aserrate in bringing to plight the issue of the Magdala Collection. I have also worked with Ambassador Wolde Selassie King of EWF Inc Shashamane in developing the concept of the model city for Shashamane. I continue to work with various groups so long as they are instrumental in bringing about a closer unity amongst InI
KI. What is the I current occupation?
GM. I am a director and shareholder of a Telecommunications company based in Kenya. I also act a consultant to business in the food and entertainment industry.
KI. What is the I Sabbath practice?
GM. According the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, Saturday as the Sabbath has not changed. Sunday is truly the day of the Resurrection and InI should rejoice in it being the day that the Lord made. The Sabbath in Orthodox tradition is a day of relaxation and preparation for celebrating the day of the Resurrection of our Lord the centre of which should be the partaking of the blessed sacrament of the Eucharist.
KI. What is the I view of the Sacrament, considered Hola to some houses ands mansions? Is it necessary to partake of the Sacrament?
GM. I understand this question to relate to the taking of herbs as a sacrament. Again each person is free to follow whatever discipline he desires but to say InI is united in the spiritual sense would mean InI see the sacrament is essential which it is not. Anything taking into the body such as smoke cannot be good for the body. I have personally seen my dear Bingi brothers pass away after both his lungs collapsed because of the continual smoking of the herbs as the Hola Sacrament. The Hola Sacrament that InI King partook of is the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist which is onfiltered=of the seven Pillars of Mysteries of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. The bible clearly states that if InI do not take this particular sacrament InI will have no life, as it is life i.e. the body and blood of Eyesus Kristos symbolized as bread and wine. His Imperial Majesty never failed to partake of this Sacrament so how can InI who follow him replace it for herbs?

KI. How does the I keep an Ital diet? Since there are some differing diets kept, what is your view of those who do not keep vegan?
GM. First the bible says that InI should not condemn InI brothers because of what he eats as it is not what goes into the body that defiles it but the words that come out of ones mouth. As a consequence the bible is also clear on what meats InI can eat. As a follower of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church one has an opportunity to fast for nearly half of the year. During this fasting period one eats nothing from the animal – the diet is completely vegan- all forms of animal products (meat, eggs, butter, milk, cheese etc.) are strictly prohibited. As the bible does not forbid one from eating meat and it also specifically request that InI should not do anything to cause thy brother to stumble, the periods of fasting gives the body time to cleans its self and it serves to weaken the force of the body so that the body may obey the soul which is of the Father.
KI. How does the I view Haile Selassie teachments, his major tenants from speeches you have read?
GM. Robert Nesta Marley (Berhane Selassie) sang, “Give us the teachings of His Majesty….” His Imperial Majesty is the central personality in Rastafari. The name Rastafari derives from his names Ras Teferi Makonen. In his various Utterances and Selected Speeches one can find the solution for InI development, the growth of the African Continent and the world at large in terms of collective security. His works in developing Ethiopia and his encouragement to Education is unsurpassing. His comments on his love of the Creator and Eyesus Kristos brings InI into some form of contradiction at least those who claim him to be God or the Son of God in the sense of the second person of the Holy Trinity. For this reason I follow Bob’s advice and not the tradition of men. I accept Him as he has told who and me who he is his lord and Savior is whom I also follow with all my heart and soul.
KI. How does the I see Reggae music (Roots) in the present time?
GM. Reggae music from its inception has always been the medium of the masses. An inspirational tool to uplift the people and it will always be that. It is for me the real classical music.
KI. Any feeling about Gospel Reggae or what they call Christian Reggae such as Judy Mowatt, Sis Carlene Davis, Papa San foe Isample?
GM. We all know that reggae music was seen as unsuitable for a Christian. It was shunned by the masses only InI relied on it for both spiritual and social inspiration. Now it is being used to promote mainstream Christianity. Jah is marvelous and he takes the foolish things of the world to confound the wise. Reggae music will permeate throughout the world and InI will use it as the medium to spread the true gospel of the Father Son and Holy Spirit. Let them spread to those who first denied it – in time InI will use it for the true works.


Adapted from http://www.alumbo.com/cgi-bin/article/14568

Aiding the Farmer- Words Of HIM Haile Selassie I

For those of you who possess the land and labor but lack capital, we have made credit available at low interest. For those of you who have the necessary finance but do not possess land to work on, We have, in accordance with Our proclamation which entitled every Ethiopian to ownership of land, established offices in every province through which you may be able to acquire land. Those who have neither land nor money will be granted land and a financial loan at low interest. For those of you who possess the land, who have financial resources and manpower We have made experts available to furnish you with the necessary guidance and advice in your various undertakings. With the knowledge that unity and cooperation are themselves strength, take advantage of the possibilities that We have opened to you.

adapted from
http://shirikiorganization.blogspot.com

Words of HIM Haile Selassie I

INAUGURATING THE IMPERIAL ETHIOPIAN COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE & MECHANICAL ARTS [Alem-Maya, Harar :: Thur. Jan. 16^th 1958]

A country and a people that become self-sufficient by the development of Agriculture can look forward with confidence to the future. Agriculture is not only the chief among those fundamental and ancient tasks which have been essential to the survival of mankind, but also ranks first among the prerequisites to industrial and other developments.

History can afford us ample evidence that mankind abandoned its nomadic way of life and developed a settled, communal economy only when man became skilled and competent in agricultural techniques. From the beginnings of recorded history, right up to the Middle Ages, and even as late as the beginning of the Industrial Age in which we now live, agriculture has always constituted the fundamental source of wealth for the human race.

Only when a solid agricultural base has been laid for our country’s commercial and industrial growth can we ensure the attainment of the ultimate goal of Our development program, namely, a high standard of living for our people.

Commerce and industry, being concerned in the main with development and distribution, can only develop and profit from existing resources, but cannot actually create things which did not exist before.

Even in this nuclear age, in spite of the revolutionary changes in man’s way of life which science has brought about, the problem of further improving and perfecting agricultural methods continues to hold a position of high priority for the human race. 

It is hard to believe that a substitute can be found for the occupation of agriculture – a sacred task graciously conferred upon man by JAH to serve as the source of his wellbeing and basis of his wealth.

Agriculture and industry are indispensable one to the other. Only close cooperation between these two branches of knowledge can guarantee the fulfillment of Our program of economic development for Our country.

As we have already made it clear to you in Our previous statement, capital is an essential prerequisite for initiating all undertakings, whatever their nature. We have, therefore, made credit available for you which, when properly used, would enable you to achieve your development objective in the fields of agriculture, forestry, stock breeding, health services, and in the sphere of other development programmes.

http://shirikiorganization.blogspot.com